Wallpapering



Patented June 30, 1942 7 UNITED STATES .PA ENT" OFFICE No Drawing. Application March 25, 1939,

Serial No. 264,237

This invention relates to wall papering and to forming of remoistening gummed wall paper. This application constitutes a continuation in part of applicants abandoned application Serial No. 158,259, for Wall papering.

In the efforts heretofore made to produce commercially satisfactory wall paper provided with a d y um on one side, no solution has been made of the problem of preventing undue curling and distortion of the paper strips, either during the application of the ground coat or the printing of the design. The tension exerted by the dry gum layer on one side of the paper produces a heavy curling of the sheet which practically makes it impossible to later apply the ground coat. Since the ground coat consists normally of a colored starch and casein adhesive containing a. large amount of water and since the paper employed for wall paper is quite loosely knit or porous, the water passes through the paper and affects the dry gum layer, thus producing greater tension and greater curling. It is thus seen that there are two applications of water-bearing material on opposite sides of the paper and at different stages in the treatment of the paper, the second application being made possible only after the first has dried. These difliculties have heretofore rendered it impracticable to produce a flat or balanced wall paper having the dry gum on one side, and the ground coat and design printed thereon on the other side.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for overcoming the above difliculties and providing a wall paper which has a heavy water-soluble adhesive on one side of the paper base, a ground coating material on the other side,

and a design on the ground coating, the paper being substantially flat. Another object isto provide a method by which substantially flat wall paper can be produced and which permits the same to be readily moistened for application to the strip or sheet, I apply a layer of water-soluble gum. Infactorypm l .thesumisusua1lyapplied to a very wide strip of paper which, later, is out into narrow strips, such as are commonlynoneaertedbythegumiendstoproduceavery 10 parts to the whole:

' Parts Starch 1 V2 Casein Clay 1 /2 Color l y, Fixing reagent for casein Vs Preservative Va Plasticizer Water 6 5 Claims. (CI. ll7-11) strong curl in the paper, the curl being in the direction of the gummed side.

After drying, I process the paper in a definite manner known to those skilled in the art, not

only so as to overcome the tendency to curl but also to produce a reverse curl in the paper. This may be produced by cracking the gum layer in various ways, and in so doing bending the paper in a reverse direction of the gum. The reverse curl can be produced very effectively by drawing the gummed sheet directly over a breaker bar, with the breaker bar positioned at right angles to the length of the sheet, the ungummed side of the paper lying against the breaker bar edge. Any gum breaking means, including a breaker bar set at angles of and and in various other positions, may be used. The sheet taken directly from the breaker bar edge is found to have a definite reverse curl.

The paper, having been processed as described,

is then passed through a coating machine for the application of the ground coat; The ground coat may consist of any suitable materail. Preferably it contains an adhesive, coloring matter, and a large quantity of water. Usually variousfillers are employed and also casein, a fixing reagent therefor, a preservative, and a plasticizer are also employed. An example of a suitable formula for a ground coat may be stated as follows, figuring It will be understood that the formula varies with the particular color used and with other requirements. A number of the ingredients may be omitted and substitutes used.

In the application of the ground coat, there is a substantial excess of water and of this a quantity passes through the paper and dissolves a portion of the glue layer on the oppoflte side. When the ground coat is dried, the curling eil'ect of the oriainal gum coat is increased by the second application of water which tends toovercome the reverse curl already described. thus producing substantially a straight or flat wall paper.

Theflatwall paper is then Well adapted to re- The process described results in producing a flexible gummed wall paper which can be handled in the ground coat applying machine while at the same time the cracking of the gumresults in a reverse curl which offsets the curl which would later be induced by the second application of water to the inner edge of the gummed layer by reason of the application of the ground coating. Further, the cracking of the gum permits the now of moisture readily into the body of the paper when it is to be applied to a wall so as to enable thepaper itself to be moistened and rendered stretchable for application to the surface. Upon drying, the paper draws tightly about the 'wall surfaces.

By the processing described, I find that a commercially feasible and satisfactory wall paper can be produced with the result that the use of paste pots and other undesirable paraphernalia can be dispensed with, the wall paper 7 being quickly placed in position by the mere application or. water. Further, the paper and gum can be readily remoistened and applied to surfaces by persons who do not have special skill 'in this field.

I wish it tobe understood that I do not de-'- sire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a method of forming remoistening gummed wall paper, the steps of coating one side of a wall paper strip with a water-soluble gum, drying the gum, said gum causing the strip to curl toward the gummed side, fracturing the gum to an extent sumcient to produce a reverse 1 curl, and thereafter applying a moisture-containing ground coat to the opposite side of said paper, said coat containing suificient moisture to penetrate said paper and dissolve the inner portion of said gum sufficiently to straighten. said p pe 1 2. In a method of forming remoistening gummed wall paper, the steps of coating one side of a wall paper strip with a water-soluble gum, drying the gum, said gum causing the strip to curl toward the-gummed side, passing the ungummed side of the strip over a breaker bar to fracture the gum to a suflicient extent to produce a reverse curl, applying coloring material containing moisture to the side opposite said gum, said moisture penetrating said paper and dissolving the inner portions of said gum sufiiciently to straighten said paper.

3. In a method of forming remoisteningsolving the inner portions of said gum sufliciently to straighten said paper, drying said paper and said coloring material, and printing a design on the dried coloring material. 4

4. In a method of forming remoistening gummed wall paper, the steps of coating one side of a wall paper strip with a water-soluble gum, drying the gum, said gum causing the strip to curl toward the gummed side, fracturing the gum and forming a, reverse curl in said strip away from the gummed side, applying coloring material containing moisture to the side of the strip opposite said gum, said moisture penetrating said paper and dissolving the inner portions of said gum sufficiently to straighten said paper, drying said paper and said coloring material, and printing a design on the dried coloring material.

5. Wall paper carrying on one side a layer of remoistening gum, the gum being dried and fractured to ,the extent that the paper has a reverse curl therein away from the gummed side. and a layer of moisture containing coloring ma-r terial' on the side of the paper opposite said gum, the moisture from .said layer extending through said paper and being in contact with the inner portions of said gum to dissolve the samesufliciently to straighten said paper.

FERDINAND W. HUNIPHNER. 

